“I can go for help.”
My stomach sinks. “Ethan, no…”
“Hear me out.” He holds up a finger. “It’s only about a mile to get to the main road. I can walk that far, then flag a car down for help. Or actually, I may have some phone reception over there. I might not even have to walk all the way to the main road if I can get my phone to work.”
I look doubtfully out of one of the picture windows. There is a lot of snow out there. Moreover, it’s gotten very dark over the last hour. Pitch black. There are no street lights or lights from nearby houses or any lighting whatsoever anywhere outside of the premises. What if he gets lost?
What if he freezes to death?
I grab Ethan’s arm, digging my fingernails into his skin. “Please don’t go.”
“I’ll be fine,” he assures me with the confidence that I don’t feel. “I have a warm coat and a good pair of boots. I bet it will only take me about half an hour to get to the main road.”
“And you’d just leave me here?” A lump rises in my throat. “With him?”
“He’s contained. For now.”
I shake my head, but I can already see in Ethan’s eyes how determined he is. There’s no way I can talk him out of this.
“I’ll be back in an hour—two, tops,” he says. “I promise.”
I place my palm on my abdomen. It’s still flat—no sign of a baby bump yet. In the coming months, it will grow larger and larger with the life we made blossoming inside me. As excited as I am about this journey, I don’t want to do it alone. I can’t imagine my life without Ethan.
“Please be careful,” I murmur.
“Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
He leans in to kiss me, and as I feel his hot breath, I say a silent prayer. Please don’t let this be the last time I see him. I will always blame myself if something happens to him.
“Don’t go into the room for any reason.” Ethan’s voice is stern. “No matter what. Okay, Tricia?”
“Okay,” I agree.
“He’s tied up. The only way he can hurt you is if you take the tape off his wrists and ankles.”
“I know.”
A flash of doubt passes over Ethan’s face, but then he shakes his head. “Okay, I’ll see you soon.”
He starts to walk past me, but then he freezes in his steps. Something has caught his attention. Something by the stairwell.
I swivel my head, following his gaze. That’s when I see what he’s looking at. It’s the bookcase by the stairs. The one that concealed the hidden room.
And it is now hanging ajar.
Chapter 43
I want to do something to try to distract Ethan from the hidden room, but his eyes are focused on it like a laser beam.
“What is that?” he says.
“I… I don’t know. Probably just a closet.”
But he’s not listening to me. He strides over to the bookcase while my heart does jumping jacks in my chest. How could I be so stupid as to leave it open? I was sure I shut it the last time I went in to grab some tapes, but I noticed the latch doesn’t always catch. It must’ve swung open again after I closed it.
And in a flash, Ethan is pulling open the door. I at least turned the light out, which delays him about five seconds as he fumbles around for the cord. When he finally finds it and the room lights up, I hear the sharp inhalation of his breath. “What the…？”
I stand at the entrance to the room, wringing my hands together. I want to pretend I don’t know anything about this, but he’ll see right through me.
Ethan selects one tape from a shelf. He examines the writing on the spine. “She recorded all her patient interviews…”
“Yeah…” I say.
“There must be thousands of these…” His eyes rake over the shelves and shelves packed with tapes. “When did you find this place?”
My cheeks feel like they’re on fire. “Um…”
“Tricia…”
“Yesterday. I found it yesterday.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
Obviously not. “You seemed busy with work. I didn’t think you would care.”
“That’s a load of bullshit and you know it, Tricia.” Bright red creeps into his face from his neck. “Have you been listening to these tapes?”
“No,” I answer quickly.
He raises his eyebrows. “How about if you tell me the truth this time?”